Lubricator



F. M. SLATER Dec. 17, 1940.

LUBRICATOR Filed March 10, 1939 RW Y O E V 2 T N v T in A m w P Y H B \mww Rh Patented Dec. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES LUBRICATOR Fred M. Slater,Phillipsburg, N. J., assignor to Ingersoll-Rand Company, Jersey City, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 10,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to lubricators, and more particularly tolubricators adapted to be attached to a supply line used for conveyingpressure fluid to rock drills and other fluid actuated mechanisms.

One object of the invention is to assure an adequate supply of lubricantin a suitably atomized state to the mechanism intended to be lubricated.

Another object is to assure these favorable conditions in all positionswhich the lubricator may occupy in practice, and a further object is toprevent the undesirable occurrence of flooding the pressure fluid supplyline with oil.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention and in which.similar reference numerals refer to similar parts:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a lubricatorconstructed in accordance with the practice'of the invention, and

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are transverseviews taken through Figure 1 on thelines 22, 33 and 4-4, respectively.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the invention is shownembodied in a lubricator of substantially the type disclosed in U. S.Patent No. 1,925,826, granted to E. F. Terry et al., September 5, 1933.The lubricator, designated 20, accordingly comprises an oblong casing2|, the interior of which serves as a reservoir 22 for oil.

One end of the casing 2| is constricted and carries a head 23 to whichis connected a section of a conduit 24 whereby pressure fluid issupplied from a source of supply to the machine intended to be operatedthereby. The head 23 also supports an end of a pipe 25 that forms acontinuation of the supply line 24. The pipe extends through thereservoir 22 and has its opposite end seated in a head 26 forming aclosure for the opposite end of the reservoir 22. The head 26 is hollow,having a passage 21 to afford communication between the pipe 25 andanother section of the supply conduit 24 attached to the head 26.

The interior of the pipe 25 thus forms a main passageway 28 throughwhich pressure fluid flows from one section to another of the supplyconduit 24, and on the exterior of the pipe 25, intermediate the ends ofthe reservoir 22, is an oil delivery device 29 comprising a pairoflplates 3|]. The plates are disposed in face to face relation witheach other and recessed to define an annular groove 3| around the pipe25, and from the groove 3| extend a series of radial passages 32 thatopen into an annular groove 33 in the peripheries of the plates 30.

The outer ends of the passages 32 are controlled by a ring 34 disposedloosely in the groove 33 and of larger diameter than the groove so thatit will drop by gravity and lie over the 1939, Serial No. 260,925

mouths of the uppermost passages 32 to control I communication betweenthe reservoir and the groove 3|. The ring, being larger than the groove,will then uncover the lowermost passages 32 and permit the entrance ofoil from a low point in.

the reservoir into the groove 3|.

The oil entering the groove 3| is conveyed therefrom by a tube 35 seatedwith one end in one of the plates 3i] and with its other end in the head26 where it opens into a passage 35 leading to a bore 31 extendingtransversely of the head 26. The bore 31 has portions 38 and 39 lying ondiametrically opposite sides of the passage 21 to receive a. nozzlemember 40 press fitted into both portions 38 and 39 or otherwise securedto the head 25. The member 40 has a passage 4| extending longitudinallytherethrough to convey oil from the passage 35 to a passage 42 extendingtransversely of the nozzle member, and of the passage 21, so that theoil issuing from the passage 42 will be introduced into the pressurefluid flowing through the passage 21 on opposite sides of the nozzlemember.

The portion 43 of the passage 4| in direct communication with thepassage 42 is preferably considerably restricted and at its juncturewith the enlarged portion of the passage 4| is a needle valve 44 whichis in threaded engagement with the nozzle member for controlling theflow area through the passage 4|. The nozzle member 40 lies entirelywithin the head 25 and the outer end of the bore 31 is enlarged andthreaded to receive a closure 45 which may be conveniently removedwhenever it becomes necessary to adjust the needle valve 44.

In the portion of the nozzle member below the passage 42 are a pair ofpassages 45 and 41 for conveying pressure fluid from the passageway intothe part of the bore 31 lying below the nozzle member. The entrance ends48 and 49 of the passages 45 and 41, respectively, lie longitudinally ofthe passageway 28 and point in opposite directions. Thus, an entranceend, either 48 or 49, will point into the fluid current and a fulladmission of pressure fluid into the lower portion of the bore 31 willthereby be assured irrespective of the direction of flow of the pressurefluid stream.

Thepressure fluid thus directed into the lower portion of the bore 31 isconveyed to the reservoir 22 to maintain a pressure on the oil thereinfor causing it to flow through the delivery device 29 and associatedchannels into the passageway 28. In accordance with the practice of theinvention, the head is provided with a pair of channels 58 and 5| ofwhich the latter'channel opens directly into an annular groove 52 in theperiphery of an extension 53 on the head 25 and lying in the end of thereservoir 22.

The groove 52 may be of any desired width and contains a ring 54 whichis of only sufliciently less width than the groove to permit the passageof pressure fluid between the opposed surfaces of the ring and thegroove into and from the reservoir. The spaces between the side surfacesof the ring 54 and the groove 52 are somewhat exaggerated in the drawingbut in practice are sufliciently narrow so that oil froth, such as iscreated within the reservoir through the agitation of the oil by thepulsations resulting from the admission and cut-off of pressure fluid inthe tool intended to be lubricated, will be broken up and precluded frompassing into the channel 5|.

The passage 50 is connected with the opposite end of the reservoir 22through a tube 55 seated with one end in the head 26 and with its otherend in a plate 56 arranged on the pipe 25. In the periphery of the plate56 is an annular groove 51 which, like the groove 52, lies closelyadjacent the inner surface of the casing 2| and affords communicationbetween the reservoir and the tube 55, the plate 56 having a passage 58that leads from the tube 55 to the bottom of the groove 51. The groove51 is also of substantial width and contains a ring 59 which is ofslightly smaller width than the groove 51 to define the flow areabetween the reservoir 22 and the passage 58.

In this connection it .may be stated that the width of the clearancebetween the rings 54--59 and the sides of the grooves containing them isless than the width of the annular space between the point of the needlevalve 44 and its seat. In practice, however, the reservoir 22 is notfilled entirely so that considerable portions .of the rings 54 and 59lie above the surface of the oil. In consequence of this arrangement, atotal flow area through the grooves 52 and 51 inexcess of the flow areaaround the needle valve is exposed to the foam in the reservoir and theair in the upper, portion of the reservoir will escape through thegrooves 52 and 51 when the supply line is cut off from pressure fluidsupply rather than through the comparatively smaller space around theneedle valve.

In the operation of the device, pressure fluid flows from the supplyline through either the passage 46 or 41, depending upon the directionof flow of the pressure fluid, into the lower portion of the bore 31,thence through the passages 50 and 5| and associated channels into thereservoir 22 to create a pressure on the lubricant in the reservoir.Lubricant will then be caused to flow from the reservoir through" theimmersed passages 32, and associated channels to the outlet ends of thepassage 42 where it mingles with the pressure fluid stream.

During the operation of, a rock drill connected to the supply line 24the pulsations in the pressure fluid stream incident to the alternateadmission and cut-off of pressure fluid to, its percussive elementcreate an oil foam in the reservoir. In many devices of this character,when the supply .line is cut off from the source of pressure fluidsupply, the foam will be carried into the supply line by the pressurefluid returning from the reservoir to the lower pressure zone and causeflooding of the rock drill at the beginning of a subsequent period ofoperation.

In the present arrangement, owing to the restricted flow area in thegrooves 52 and 51 the air and oil constituting the foam are separatedand only the air, will pass through the grooves and return to the supplyline. The oil will be restrained from entering the grooves and in thisway the undesirable occurrence of floodingthe rock drill with oil willbe prevented.

I claim:

1. A lubricator, comprising a casing having a lubricant reservoir, ahollow member extending through the reservoir to form a passageway forpressure fluid, means for delivering lubricant from the reservoir to thepassageway, a channel for conveying pressure fluid from the passagewayinto the reservoir and to return such pressure fluid from the reservoirto the passageway, and means in the reservoir forming a restricted areaof communication between the reservoir and the channel to prevent theconveying of lubricant into the passageway by the pressure fluid flowingfrom the reservoir into the channel upon the cut-off of pressure fluidto the passageway.

2. A lubricator, comprising a casing having a lubricant reservoir, ahollow member extending through the casing to form a passageway forpressure fluid, means for delivering lubricant from the reservoir to thepassageway, a channel for conveying pressure fluid from the passagewayto the reservoir and from the reservoir to the passageway, and a platein the reservoir having an annular groove to form a restricted area ofcommunication between the reservoir and the channel to prevent theconveying of lubricant into the passageway by the pressure fluid flowingfrom the reservoir into the channel upon the cut-off of pressure fluidto the passageway.

3. A lubricator, comprising a casing having a lubricant reservoir, ahollow member extending through the casing to form a passageway forpressure fluid, means for delivering lubricant from the reservoir to thepassageway, a channel for conveying pressure fluid from the passagewayto tha reservoir and from the reservoir to the passageway, a plate inthe reservoir having an annular groove to afford communication betweenthe channel and the reservoir, and a ring in the groove to restrict theflow area of the groove and therebyprevent the conveying of lubricantinto the passageway by the pressure fluid flowing from the reservoirinto the channel upon the cut-off of pressure fluid to the passageway. i

4. A lubricator, comprising a casing having a lubricant reservoir, ahollow member extending through the casing to form a passageway forpressure fluid, means for delivering lubricant from the reservoir to thepassageway, means defining channels that leadto the ends of thereservoir to convey pressure fluid from the pasnels upon the cut-oil ofpressure fluid to the pask sag eway.

FRED M. SLATER.

